Bound by Contract

The Wedding

The week sped by in a haze of preparations. Sophia hardly had time to even register what was happening before she was being prepped by a salon stylist to try on the wedding gown for the first time, staring at her image in the mirror with disbelief. It was a simple, but beautiful strapless gown with a fitted bodice and a long flowing skirt, which made her feel like she was floating.

“Are you really sure about this?” asked Claire Reynolds, Sophia’s best friend, a worried tone in her voice, as she worked to adjust a wedding veil on top of Sophia’s head. “This is crazy, Soph. You’re marrying a man you hardly even know!” Claire looked a bit worried about the situation. Sophia looked at Claire in earnest, “I know” she replied, her voice tight. “But I don’t have a choice, Claire. This is the only way I can save my mother.”

Claire sighed, and her expression softened. “I get it, trust me, I do. But are you really sure you can do this? Alex Blackwood is not Prince Charming.” Claire looked hard at Sophia, waiting for a response. Sophia turned to Claire and managed a weak smile. “I’m not looking for prince charming, I am just trying to survive,” she said.

Claire nodded her head slightly and her eyes were now filled with sympathy. “Just promise me that you are really going to take care of yourself, okay? And if he treats you badly, you promise to call me. I will kick his ass,” Claire said, lightly demanding that Sophia promise her something. Sophia laughed and rolled her eyes, Sophia was glad to have someone like Claire would have her back. “I promise.”

The ceremony took place in a small, private chapel, with only a few guests present, just like Alex insisted on planning to have, to avoid drawing too much attention to the situation. Sophia let out a deep breath as she began to walk down the aisle, her heart pounding in her chest, all the while her mind racing with doubts and fears about marrying a stranger.

Sophia could see Alex standing at the altar, dressed in his professionally tailored suit as he stood with confidence, looking like he was unbothered by the whole situation. Although his facial expression was inscrutable as he saw her approach, there was a glimmer of something in his eyes that caused her heart to pound.

The ceremony was quick, the vows were uncomplicated. When it was time to say, "I do," Sophia's voice quaked slightly, but she willed herself to say the words. When it was Alex's turn to echo the oath, his voice was even, even flat, as if the vow were a formality, a rite of passage that was required to drive a nail into the coffin of their marriage.

As the officiant announced them husband and wife, Alex leaned in to kiss her. Just a simple touch of lips that formed an aisle of commitment. No passion, no warmth; just the coldness of a moment that made Sophia feel more alone than she ever had before.

As they walked out of the chapel, together hand in hand, she couldn't shake a nagging feeling that they had just signed away a part of themselves. But as they stepped into the awaiting limousine, Alex looked over at her, softening in face for the first time she had ever seen since she met him. "I know this is not how'll you had hoped this would go," he quietly said, his voice carrying something that almost sounded like regret. "I will do everything I can to make this easy for you," he said with assurance. Sophia wondered just how genuine his words were when she looked back at him and saw an inkling of sincerity in his eyes. "Why are you doing this, Alex? Why me?" she asked.

He flinched, looking out the window with an unfocused expression. "Because I need someone who I can trust," he finally replied with a tone of intensity that pierced the stress but also lacked shared awareness of what an innocent thought it was to require trust. "Someone who cannot become a double agent" he replied. Sophia's frown deepened as her mind churned uncertainty and curiosity; what even did that even mean? "Betray you? What do you mean?" she replied, a statement flipped into a question.

Alex quickly shook his head as he rearranged his facial expression to something a bit harder. "It doesn't matter," he assured. "I am...I will not let anyone hurt you." “Not while you’re my wife." He meant it as an assurance, not as a promise; it was both something she wanted to hear and wished she could ignore. Sophia wanted to dig deeper. She wanted to ask him for the meaning behind his words, but the look in his eyes helped Sophia distinguish that moment in particular would be better reserved for another day, if ever.

As they rode in the limousine driving through the streets of New York, the city’s lights illuminating the dark, Sophia leaned back in her seat with a flood of questions she wasn’t sure she wanted the answers to. She slept beside a man she couldn't be sure she really knew. A man with secrets he wasn't willing to tell her and scars he wasn't willing to show. And she couldn't help but question whether there was a depth to Alexander Blackwood that would require more than a glimpse to uncover. But as they rode into the night the only thing Sophia was certain of was that her life was about to take a turn away from what had felt so ordinary, never to return.

As they rode in silence, Sophia's thoughts were stopped by Alex's voice, the second time she heard it since the wedding: "We're here" Alex said flatly. Sophia turned away from the window to see him looking straight ahead. She then looked outside to see what looked like a grand estate before them. "Where are we?" Sophia asked, curiosity building in her tone.

"My home" he replied, and then continued with a still neutral expression, "You'll be living here with me from now on." She let his words you'd never really understand fully really sink in for a moment. She was married to this man who was still a stranger to her, a little more than a stranger. She would now be continuing her life with a man who would take care of her just as he had at the ceremony.

As they stepped out into what felt like a different world away from New York City, Sophia felt a hint of nervousness blossom in her belly again.

“Welcome to Blackwood Manor" Alex said with a pronunciation too formal on a word she learned would become a longer word meaning "home." "I am sure you’ll find it... comfortable," he said undoubtedly attempting to reassure her before moving the subject away.

"Yes, it is very... impressive," Sophia said barely above a whisper, still scanning every corner of the opulent foyer of the Manor. Then he smiled a genuine smile with a twinkle of satisfaction in his eyes of hope for an endorsement of kind words to enjoy. "I'm happy that you agree. Your rooms are ready for you. I will take you to them" he said. When they went upstairs, Sophia could feel that she was a bird in a gilded cage. "What do you expect of me?" she asked with a hint of defiance.

Alex looked back at her, his face giving away no emotions. "You should expect to do your duties as my wife. Go to functions, host events.... and be the visage of a happy marriage" he said.

Sophia's heart dropped. In a sense, this was her life - a life of the continuous act. "And my mother?" she asked, her desperation creeping through. Alex softened slightly, "I will cover her hospital bills completely. I promise you."

Sophia nodded and some relief washed over her. At least her mother was cared for. Alex turned to Sophia when they reached the top of the staircase. Looking her in the eye.

"One more thing. Sophia," he said, a low, husky voice. "I expect loyalty. First and foremost, I expect loyalty." Sophia's heart skipped a beat in his gaze. What secrets empowered his gaze? What did loyalty mean?